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Role hub · Agricultural Engineers

Agricultural Engineer: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of agricultural engineers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$98,590
Hourly
$47.40
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Agricultural Engineers apply knowledge of engineering technology and biological science to agricultural problems concerned with power and machinery, electrification, structures, soil and water conservation, and processing of agricultural products. The median pay is $98,590 a year ($47.40 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (75% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$98,590
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
1,480
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
75% of workers
Key facts

Agricultural Engineers at a glance

  • Agricultural engineers in the United States earned a median annual wage of $98,590 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for agricultural engineers in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of agricultural engineers in the United States to grow 6.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 100 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 1,480 people were employed as agricultural engineers in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

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The work

What agricultural engineers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Prepare reports, sketches, working drawings, specifications, proposals, and budgets for proposed sites or systems.
  2. Visit sites to observe environmental problems, to consult with contractors, or to monitor construction activities.
  3. Meet with clients, such as district or regional councils, farmers, and developers, to discuss their needs.
  4. Discuss plans with clients, contractors, consultants, and other engineers so that they can be evaluated and necessary changes made.
  5. Test agricultural machinery and equipment to ensure adequate performance.
  6. Plan and direct construction of rural electric-power distribution systems, and irrigation, drainage, and flood control systems for soil and water conservation.
  7. Provide advice on water quality and issues related to pollution management, river control, and ground and surface water resources.
  8. Design structures for crop storage, animal shelter and loading, and animal and crop processing, and supervise their construction.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all agricultural engineer jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals28.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $105,650
  2. Professional, scientific, and technical services26.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +15.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $111,420
  3. Educational services; state, local, and private16.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +8.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $91,870
  4. Management of companies and enterprises7.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $125,030
  5. Food manufacturing5.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $112,550
  6. Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods4.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +1.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $110,930

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreWritingcoreSpeakingComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingSystems EvaluationCritical ThinkingSystems Analysis

Knowledge areas: Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics, Design, Mathematics, Physics, Biology.

Tools and technology

Software agricultural engineers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Adobe InDesignDesktop publishing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorksComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • SASAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • ESRI ArcViewGeographic information system
  • Eagle Point LANDCADDComputer aided design CAD software
  • PTC Creo ParametricComputer aided design CAD software
  • PTC Pro/PipeComputer aided design CAD software
  • Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA softwareIndustrial control software
  • Microsoft AccessData base user interface and query softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology

Also called: Agricultural Systems Specialist, Conservation Engineer, Engineer, Field Engineer, Product Engineer.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.